When Alice's tech billionaire father dies she returns to the family private island after years of estrangement. What follows is a mostly tedious week in the dysfunctional family's life recovering from grief while following their father's wishes to receive an inheritance.

I devoured this book. I’ve been a fan of Sarah MacLean’s work and I wondered how I would like a contemporary setting from her. I loved it. The characters felt fully lived in and the phrasing was beautiful.

If you enjoy reading about totally dysfunctional families, then this will be a good one for you. The billionaire tech mogul patriarch of the Storm family has just passed away. As controlling as he was in life, his legacy continues from the grave. He forces all of his family members to return to their Rhode Island mansion for 5 days to participate in a twisted inheritance challenge. If they don’t participate or if they leave their private island before the 5 day period is over, they get nothing. The fixer from their father’s company is responsible for overseeing the challenge. It doesn’t hurt that he’s young, single, and very attractive. The 3 Storm sisters - Greta, Alice, and Emily - their brother Sam, and their mother Elisabeth have no choice but to participate. Alice has been estranged from the family for 5 years, living in New York City working as a school teacher and dabbling as an artist. Greta is her mother’s personal assistant and is in a secret relationship with her father’s pilot. The youngest daughter Emily is happily married to her partner Claudia and running her own business. Sam is the screw-up of the family and the only one with children. In the five days of the challenge, they will learn a lot about each other, particularly about long-buried secrets. The whole scenario doesn’t seem like it could ever happen in real life, but it was entertaining to read anyway. This was my first Sarah MacLean book and I enjoyed her writing. Thanks to #Netgalley and #BallantineBooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah MacLean has done it again—One of These Summer Storms swept me away with its passion, intensity, and the kind of romance that makes your heart ache in the best possible way. The writing was lush and emotional, capturing that perfect storm of longing, vulnerability, and slow-burn tension that MacLean does so well.
The characters were layered and raw, each carrying wounds from the past that made their journey toward each other both painful and beautiful. I loved the fiery banter, the undeniable chemistry, and the way the story balanced angst with hope. Every scene felt charged with electricity, and I found myself hanging onto every word.
This isn’t just a love story—it’s about healing, forgiveness, and learning to weather the storms life throws your way. A powerful, passionate read that will stay with me for a long time. Highly recommend for romance lovers who crave intensity and beautifully broken characters finding their way home to each other.

Loved this well written family drama! It was funny, but also sad, and poignant. I loved Alice’s character. There was an unexpected romance that I also really loved. The mother was insufferable, and the whole Storm family seemed so toxic, especially to each other. Really enjoyable plot and story.

Alice Storm walked away from her family’s fortune and chaos years ago—but her father’s sudden death drags her back to their private island. His final wish? An inheritance game designed to pit his widow and children against each other for one brutal week.
Trapped in a house buzzing with secrets, rivalries, and the dangerously charming Jack Dean, Alice must survive the games—and her family—long enough to claim her future.
A sharp, witty tale of grief, love, and messy family ties, set against the backdrop of one unforgettable summer storm.

MacLean is and forever will be an auto-buy for me. I’ve read every single one of her books, so when I saw she was branching into contemporary romance, I was STOKED. I tore through this in two days (and honestly would’ve been one if work hadn’t gotten in the way).
This book was fun, it was messy, and it made me want to be a fly on the wall in that house. The family dynamics felt like reality TV gold, and I was hooked from page one. Alice was the one redeeming soul in a sea of trauma-fueled child-adults, and the way MacLean gave each sibling their own arc? Chef’s kiss.

If you want a book that gives Succession vibes, check this one out!
4 stars and thank you to NetGalley & Random House Publishing for the ARC!

such a crazy family dynamic and relationships! absolutely loved all the siblings and everything they had to do once their dad died! i couldn’t put it down especially towards the end of the book! so good!

I kept hearing so many good things about this book and I was eager to read it and see what all the hype was about. A very character driven story with family drama that keeps the reader engaged and makes you want to keep turning the pages to finish it. Each character had there flaws and imperfections but you begin rooting for each of them in some way as the story goes on. I enjoyed the romantic aspect in the story and although it could’ve been edited more to shorten the length overall I really enjoyed this one!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review and feedback.

This book gave "Succession" vibes, and I am here for it. This was so much more than a straightforward romance or family drama, but boy was there both. I loved the characters and complex character development, and I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the "next shoe to drop." This was beautifully written, and evoked so many emotions from the very beginning.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

I really enjoyed this novel. This had a very Succession-feel, with a family having mixed feelings about grieving the loss of their patriarch, with the double whammy of also having to complete specific tasks from him in order to receive their inheritance, worth millions. I liked the narrator Alice, and enjoyed figuring out what the rift was between her and her father. The family's island was a great setting, and the family dynamics were all interesting. Part romance, part family drama, this was a really great summer read.

OMG! I loved this book. I can't stop thinking about it and it's been a few months since I read it. The main characters were so real. I followed MacLean over from her historical romance and this was a perfect continuation of her stories. It had all the story elements that I love and all the messy family drama I could want. Can't wait to read her next book no matter what genre.

This didn’t do it for me. The conversations between characters was lagging and boring and was hard to feel sympathy for a family full of billionaires lol

I've ready many of Sarah MacLean's books and love most of them. Her historical fiction are great reads, filled with banter, spice and a woman who is kick ass strong. These Summer Storms sounded exactly what I like in contemporary fiction so I was ready to dive in. Unfortunately I couldn't connect with the rich and terrible Storms. It should have been a hint this story might not be my thing that I've never watched Succession, nor find the desire too. I'm sure These Summer Storms will be enjoyable to others, it is a good story.

These Summer Storms was filled with rich people drama and family secrets! I enjoyed the island setting and the characters’ growth by the end of the novel. However, I didn’t particularly connect with any of the characters, making it an entertaining read, but not a super memorable one.

These Summer Storms follows the Storm family as they navigate the tremendous loss of their father and the games he left behind for his children to play.

The best part of this story by far was the romance between the elusive, Alice Storm and the fixer, Jack Dean. The reader was able to feel their chemistry leaping from the page. The conflict of interest with Jack's line of work and the secrets he kept certainly made for an interesting plot on the will they/won't they scale for him and Alice.
I was less interested in the other characters of the book. I understand that their father was an overarching figure who manipulated their lives but I wish that any of them showed more remorse or even a little admiration for Alice and what she had done.

Overall, Alice and Jack were the right amount of complicated to keep me intrigued in them even if the ending fell a little flat for me. I was certainly interested in the Storms.

Thank you NetGalley, Ballantine and Sarah MacLean for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really interesting and twisty story. There is so much family drama unraveling throughout the book all while the siblings are trying to get through the inheritance game their father left for them.

The chemistry between Alice and Jack was fantastic and despite some bumps I really enjoyed that storyline.

This book almost had a mystery/thriller feel to it since Alice was constantly trying to predict their father’s next play.

I did not care for this one, unfortunately. It seemed like it would be right up my alley, but I couldn’t connect with the main character and thought she made some abysmal choices.

I’ve enjoyed Sarah’s other books (there are many) and was hesitant to give this one a try… but oh I’m so glad I did. I was riveted! If this book were a recipe it would contain equal parts: thriller, romance, family drama and re-found family. What a treat!!! The pacing was perfect! The main character is a gem and honestly I grew to really enjoy her siblings too! 5 Stars! Big thanks to NetGalley for a copy.

I reallt enjoyed this juicy family drama. Just enough chracter, just enough romance, and just enough mystery. Worked for me!

Knives Out meets Succession is the only way to describe this book. It literally went from 0 to 10 so fast and you're sucked into a world you never knew you needed in the best way.